President Donald Trump said a nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia requires the Kingdom to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords.

This condition links a critical energy and security agreement to a major geopolitical shift in the Middle East. If Saudi Arabia refuses to normalize relations with Israel, the proposed nuclear cooperation could collapse, altering the strategic balance of the region.

Trump said this on July 23, 2026 [1], during an interview with Fox News "America Reports." The interview, conducted by senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy, was broadcast from the White House press briefing room [2].

The President said that the normalization of Saudi-Israel relations is a prerequisite for the nuclear cooperation agreement [3]. He said regional stability and alignment with the Abraham Accords are the primary reasons for this requirement [3].

Under the proposed terms, the U.S. would provide nuclear technology and cooperation to the Kingdom. However, the administration is now explicitly framing this assistance as a reward for diplomatic concessions toward Israel [3].

The Abraham Accords, which previously facilitated normalization between Israel and several Arab nations, serve as the blueprint for this requirement. Trump said the nuclear deal will only move forward if Saudi Arabia follows this path [1].

This approach places the Kingdom in a difficult position, as it must weigh the benefits of American nuclear technology against the domestic, and regional political costs of formal ties with Israel [3].

“Trump said a nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia requires the Kingdom to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel”

This development signals a transactional approach to U.S. foreign policy, where high-value technical and military assets are used as leverage to achieve diplomatic breakthroughs. By tying nuclear energy cooperation to the Abraham Accords, the U.S. is attempting to create a more permanent security architecture in the Middle East that isolates shared adversaries through a formalized Saudi-Israeli partnership.